Barcelona is justly renowned for its architecture but there’s a lot more to it than Gaudí and the still unfinished Sagrada Familia. This year Catalonia is celebrating the centenary of the death of Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1849-1923), one of Gaudí’s contemporaries and a leading light in the Catalan modernisme movement,
Over the course of the year there will be talks, videos and conferences celebrating the work of this prolific architect, as well as a route taking in some of his 26 buildings, 11 of which are in Barcelona. Domènech, who was prominent in the Catalan cultural revival known as the renaixença, combined modern techniques such as steel-framing with nostalgic and often romantic concepts of Spanish and Catalan culture. Ornamental ironwork, ceramics and stained glass characterise his lavishly decorated buildings.
Here’s are five of the architect’s most emblematic buildings.
Standing in the north-west corner of the Parc de la Ciutadella, the Castell dels Tres Dragons was built in 1888 as a cafe and restaurant for the Universal Exposition. Although an early work, Domènech had already developed his distinctive style of exposed brickwork and iron structures. There are medieval references as well as a nod to the Spanish-Arab mudejar style, with heraldic motifs and images of plants and animals. The capitals and columns in the cafe are based on the 12th-century synagogue in Toledo. The Castell had a later life as the city’s natural history museum but that has now moved and the building is being restored.
The steel-framed concert hall built for the Orfeó Català choir in 1908 was funded by public donations and is generally seen as Domènech’s most complete masterpiece. As with the Castell, the facade consists of exposed brick and iron and decorative mosaics with elements of Spanish and Arabic architecture. Inside, the dominant element is stained glass. Even the balusters on the stairway are glass and the concert hall itself is walled with glass so that in summer recitals begin in daylight, giving the sensation of listening to music in a garden. The ceiling supports a gigantic sun-like skylight while the semi-circular stage is lined with carvings of 18 “muses”. The acoustics are surprisingly good, given the amount of glass, and to fully appreciate the Palau, go to a concert. There are classical, jazz and flamenco concerts all year round. Guided tours are also available.
Work on what is Europe’s largest art nouveau building began in 1901 but wasn’t completed until 1930, after the architect’s death. Facing the sea so that patients might benefit from breezes off the Mediterranean, the building incorporates what were then modern ideas about healthcare and hygiene, with ample ventilation and open spaces. It comprises a series of interconnected buildings, each catering to different medical conditions. The curved, tiled surfaces of the operating theatres, with no crevices where dirt can gather, reflect the growing awareness of the need for a sterile environment. The main administration building is an exuberant celebration of ceramics, glass and ornamentation, unlike any hospital designed before or since. Sant Pau continued to serve as one of the city’s principal hospitals until 2009. Along with the Palau de la Música Catalana, it was declared a Unesco heritage site in 1997.
Reus, one hour and 20 minutes south of Barcelona by train, is now a bit of backwater but was once a wealthy textile town. The house was commissioned by Joaquim Navàs Padró, a textile merchant, and Domènech began work on it in 1901 in conjunction with the interior designer Gaspar Homar. Between them, they created an intricately decorated house rich in detail and where once again stained glass and ceramics are the protagonists. Despite being damaged during the Spanish civil war, it contains all the original furniture. While in Reus you might visit Domènech’s other buildings there, notably the Pere Mata psychiatric hospital.
Domènech built this house to accommodate his large family and he designed some of his most famous work in the building’s studio. Since 1998 it’s been a museum where, as well as touring the building, there are displays illustrating his work not just as an architect but as a writer. Domènech also built the town’s Ateneu (cultural centre), which is similar in design to the Castell dels Tres Dragons. The museum organises a tour of his and the work of other modernista architects in the town, which is an hour’s train journey north of Barcelona.
